Keep Holding On
by wicked-nachos-09
Summary: Now that Russell Fabray is gone, Quinn's identical twin Charlie is brought home. How is their junior year at William McKinley going to happen with the usual drama of high school? Quinn/Rachel, Santana/Charlie. RATED M for child abuse in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Okay so this my first attempt at writing a Glee fic! Yay for me! The title is taken from the Avril Lavigne song of the same name. Will eventually be Rachel/Quinn and Santana/Charlie. If its a little difficult to separate Quinn and Charlie in your minds, Q has the cheerio's uniform and Charlie...well just imagine Dianna Agron rocking the punk-ish look. Plaid shirt. Skinny jeans. Converse. According to this fic, a lip piercing.

This is just the beginning. Hopefully.

Spoilers include all of season 1. Charlie comes into Glee for the second season so all the new characters will be there like Zizes, Lady Lips, the Warblers etc etc. And Quinn decided to keep baby Beth, so the rugrat will be present.

Disclaimer: I hate Ryan Murphy because he owns them and I dont

Rating: For now, PG. **WARNING!** Story deals with child abuse. If it makes you uncomfortable, I apologize.

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><p>It had been two years since Charlie Fabray had been home. Been praised by her father, hugged lovingly by her mother or fought like cat and dog with her twin sister over the tiniest things. It had been two years since she was kicked out of house and home and sent to live with her grandparents for coming out of the closet over the traditional family night dinner. It had been two years since she had last seen her twin, despite the fact that she saw her every time she looked in the mirror. The last time Charlie had seen her little sister was the morning she was no longer accepted as a child of Russell Fabray.<p>

Living with her paternal grandparents was scary as shit for her. Two years of living under Jackson Fabray's roof that resulted in several trips to the hospital when he had tried to beat her little problem out of her. She was home schooled and cut off from whatever society had been created in the hole-in-the-wall town her grandparents live in in the middle-of-nowhere, Colorado. Charlie was isolated from the world, hidden away as if she had some deadly disease or posed a risk to people around her. More than once had she tried to run away and every time she was caught she was punished worse than the time before. They used to tell her that it was for her own good, the people who called themselves gay deserved to be punished.

As soon as she had arrived, her grandmother Ruth had demanded that she removed the lip piercing, replaced her skinny jeans and vest jacket with a dress and tennis shoes, and to let her hair hang down. When she had scoffed and asked why, Jackson had threatened her with a week in the basement with no food, no natural light and no showers. Charlie had hurried inside faster than a speeding bullet to change. When she came back out into the kitchen it was explained to her what she was to do and what was expected of her. Jackson then proceeded to declare victory: if a week in the basement without the body's requirements was all it took, Charlie would be home in a week. If she could get away with lying about being gay, that she was reformed, she had mentally promised herself that even though she wasn't as strong a believer as her parents or grandparents she would say her prayers every night before bed.

Every night for two years, there was only one thing Charlie ever prayed for: for someone to come and rescue her.

Three weeks after school had let out for the summer holidays, she got her wish. Looking up from her kitchen chores out the window to the side yard, she could see a familiar SUV rolling down the dirt driveway. Her grandfather came out of the barn to yell at their visitors, they weren't selling. He stopped dead in his tracks when Judy Fabray stepped from the driver's side door. He stumbled back when Quinn appeared by the passenger side door and yelled "WHORE!" Charlie was still frozen in the kitchen as she watched her sister let the insult roll off her back and open the back door.

"I'm here for my daughter," she could hear her mother saying calmly and casually, and she followed Jackson and Ruth into the house after a nod from Quinn.

Quinn was the first to see her come out of the house. It was obvious to Charlie that she had tried to hide her shock towards the black eye and busted lip she was sporting. Charlie was scared that this was all a dream, just a figment of her imagination and shuffled forwards in the direction of her twin. A tentative hand reached out to trace the fading bruise before she was pulled into a hug. The older twin only tightened her grip when Quinn repeated 'I'm sorry I didn't protect you' and 'you can come home now' and 'I won't let anyone hurt you'. They were pulled apart by Jackson sneering at the both of them. "Get your crap and get the hell out of my house."

An hour later, all of her clothes and books were packed into two large duffel bags and dumped in the boot of the car next to Quinn's old, faded, red Cheerio's bag. Charlie was hunched over the baby carrier in the back seat with Quinn saying hello to her six week old niece as her mother sped down the highway back to Lima, Ohio. Back towards her home.

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><p>What do you think? Should I keep going? PS Reviews are a source of motivation. R&amp;R please.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Okay so I know it's not the longest or the best, but I felt that because of the response I got the other day, I needed to update ASAP. So here you go.

PS Thanks for all the reviews. I'll try and get some more up in a few days.

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><p>She looked around the bland bedroom in the Fabray household, taking in everything as slowly as she could. The furniture looked brand new; the walls were a different colour than what she remembered. Her bags were dumped at the end of the bed. It was like the moment she was gone Charlie Fabray ceased to exist within the confines the house and within the family. Still, it was an improvement on her former living arrangements at her grandparent's house. Charlie had been set up in the attic with an old mattress, some dirty sheets and a chest of drawers full of spiders. She now understood how Harry Potter must have felt when he was hidden away in the cupboard underneath the stairs by his so called family.<p>

Quinn came to a stop in the doorway behind her carrying Beth, a bottle in her free hand as she readied herself to feed her daughter. As she watched her twin take in the bare room that was once her own, Quinn took the silence as an opportunity to study the girl and take in the differences between them. Charlie's hair was naturally a darker blonde that only came out from being in the sun for long periods of time. As children, Charlie had always been the quiet child and Quinn the loud one. But when Charlie felt the need to argue she could get pretty loud.

This teen standing in front of her was nothing like the Charlie she knew, but Quinn had to remind herself that she had no idea what had happened to her out in Colorado. The older twin was definitely skinnier but Quinn was still working off her pregnancy weight so of course there would be a difference. The one thing about her twin that stood out to Quinn; her hazel eyes were dull and lifeless. It was something that she was going to see more often now that Charlie was home, but at the same time she never wanted to see it again.

By the sounds Beth was making as the infant sucked on her bottle hungrily, Quinn was sure that her sister knew she was standing there. "As soon as you were gone, Dad had the furniture thrown out and the room repainted."

"It's like I never existed," Charlie muttered. She was broken, but Quinn was going to fix her.

"Yeah. I was forbidden to talk about you," she explained, walking in to the room. "Any family photo that had you in it was taken down. Mum wouldn't let him throw your stuff out but he didn't want it in the house so it's all in storage."

"He really doesn't like fags, does he?"

"No, he doesn't but that's because he's narrow minded, scared, too strict with his beliefs. But don't worry, Chucks, you're fine by me. One of my best friends is gay," Quinn smiled when Charlie's eyes lit up at the use of her childhood nickname.

"What about Mum?"

"You should probably have a talk with her, but the fact that she let you come home without asking you if you're gay or not proves that she gonna at least try." Charlie looked worried. "Hey! I had a child out of wedlock before I was even legal to a Jewish guy and she practically begged me to come home. I think you'll be okay."

The older Fabray looked from Quinn's genuine smile to the child in her arms. She hoped that her sister was right.

"Do you wanna burp her?" asked Quinn, setting the bottle down and wiping her daughter's mouth with the burping towel. "She won't bite. Yet."

Charlie visibly gulped, nodded and sat down. She had gotten used to being told what to do and yelled at when she got it wrong. It had been a long time since she had been asked if she wanted to do something. Quinn gently instructed her with the towel, how to hold Beth and then handed the child over, resting her over her shoulder and softly patting her back.

"You're a natural."

"No, I'm not."

"You'll get used to it. I mean, gosh, what if I needed you to babysit?" joked Quinn. That earned a flash of a soft smile.

They sat in silence on the small bed. Quinn had an inkling that they would be spending a lot of their time together in silence. When Beth finally burped, Quinn took the towel but left her daughter with Charlie to be rocked to sleep. Beth was out like a light and together they put the sleeping child into her crib in her room. Charlie stood there for a moment watching over her niece sleeping. Beth was so innocent, so unaware of the horrors in the world. She silently vowed to help Quinn protect her for as long as she could. With the baby monitors on, they left Beth's room for Quinn's.

Immediately, Charlie began comparing rooms. Beth's room had her name on the door and the room was a light blue. All the furniture matched; the crib; the changing table; the dresser; the rocking chair in the corner. It was clean and neat but it was still childlike. There were few photos on the dresser. Quinn and a guy with a mohawk with Beth after she was born. A black girl and skinny white boy with the baby in a WMHS onesie. Judy with her granddaughter. Stuffed animals littered the floor in small piles in the corners and there were several pacifiers on the shelf with baby books and story books near the changing table.

Quinn's room was a pale cream that contrasted perfectly with the bedspread and furniture. Photo's covered nearly every inch of the wall above her bed. The bookshelf was packed with books, DVD's and CD's. Her old school stuff was sitting neatly on her desk with a laptop. There were only a few photos that stood out to Charlie. A photo with two cheerleaders, a blonde and a brunette, both smiling widely at a joke. There was the same photo of Quinn and the mohawked boy with Beth. There was a group photo of a pregnant Quinn and a group of teenagers on what looked like a stage.

Quinn went about identifying the people in the pictures her sister had been staring at. "That's Brittany and Santana. Beth's father Puck. Glee club."

"You're in the glee club?"

"Yeah, it's a long story."

"You look happy there."

"As embarrassing as it is, I love it. It's the most fun I've had since high school started. Now that school's out I even miss Mr Shue's dorky raps."

"That's two years of being sad."

"What can I say; my sister wasn't there with me. I didn't have a real reason to be happy when you were being...I don't even know what happened out there. What did they do to you, Chucks?"

Charlie looked ready to cry just at the mention of her time in Colorado. "You don't want to know."

"Yes, I do. That's why I'm asking. Tell me," pleaded Quinn.

"No!"

"Charlie!"

"I don't want too," she said stubbornly.

"Tell me." It was more of a hushed plea than a forceful one. Too forceful and the girl would probably shut down altogether.

"No. This is my way of protecting you. You. Don't. Want. To Know. Trust me on this okay?"

"I want to know. I mean, judging by your face, I already have a rough idea. But you can tell me when you're ready. How does that sound?" she asked timidly.

"Sounds good. I'm sorry for snapping. I just...I don't know who I am anymore Q. I don't know who I am." Her voice cracked and Quinn's heart broke.

At six weeks old Beth already had an identity, Quinn had one as a mother and daughter, Judy was finding herself as a hands-on mother and a grandmother. Charlie had been a slave to her grandparents and hidden away. She was being honest: she didn't know who she was anymore.

"I know who you are," said Quinn, gathering her sister in her arms. Charlie fought for a moment before giving up. "I know who you are! You are Charlotte Judy Fabray. You love pizza and fantasy books. You look like a punk rocker but I'm the only one who knows that you love classical musical more than anything. You say you hate wearing dresses and make up, but secretly you love getting to dress up and be treated like a princess. You cherish the piano and your guitar. You've only know Beth for all of three days and you're already wrapped around her little finger, you would do anything for her. You're strong and you're loyal and you're my favourite sister. You're my Chucks. My sister. I'm sorry I didn't protect you."

They sat together on the floor quietly crying, rocking back and forth. Charlie had been damaged and now Quinn knew just how badly. She wished they would go to hell along with her father. They didn't deserve to be free while her sister was a prisoner of the words they had poisoned her mind with.

"I haven't been that person in two years, Q."

"We can find out who you are, but you have to give it time okay?"

Quinn pulled back and wiped her sister's tears, being careful of her eye and lip. "I think I could rival Berry with that rant."

Charlie laughed openly for the first time in a long time and hugged Quinn tightly. "Love you, Q."

"Love you too, Chucks!" Her sister's stomach rumbled. "Let's go and get some food."

The Fabray twins left Quinn's bedroom with their hands fused together just like when they were six. Their bond as sisters now had a piece put back into it, instead of being taken away. The puzzle that was Charlie and Quinn was going to be finished, Quinn was sure of that.

Judy was downstairs in the kitchen wearing an apron covered in patches of flour and a cook book open in front of her. Quinn smiled at the normalcy of the situation. Charlie was shocked. She had never seen her mother like this, and plucked a brownie from the plate to snack on.

"What are you trying to do?" asked Quinn stepping in behind Judy to look at the book. "I hate to break it to you Mum, but when you bake a cake, the flour goes into the mix not onto your apron."

"I thought we could have a celebratory dinner for Charlotte. The cake was going to be dessert."

"We don't have to. It's okay." The girl shoved her hands into the pockets of her hoodie and lowered her gaze to the floor, finding her tennis shoes more interesting.

Judy rounded the island to stand in front of Charlie and lifted her daughter's chin to meet her sight. "Charlotte, you are my daughter and so far I've done a pretty pathetic job at being a mother. I should have stood up to your father when he kicked you out, when he kicked Quinn out, but I didn't and I'm sorry. I'm going to try to make up for my behaviour by devoting more time to the both of you and Beth."

At the mention of her granddaughter, the baby monitor sprung to life and Quinn left with a gentle pat on her sister's shoulder. When the youngest Fabray had disappeared around the corner and up the stairs, Judy continued and Charlie's eyes widened. "If you like girls, you like girls. There's nothing I can do about it but I only have two rules when it comes to having boyfriends or girlfriends in the house."

"What are they?"

"Your bedroom door stays open and homework is done downstairs," Judy smiled. "Just so I know you've done it."

"It doesn't bother you?" asked the teen.

"To be completely honest it does, but I'm trying. You're my daughter and I love you. I don't care who you love as long as you're happy."

"Thanks mum."

Unexpectedly Charlie hugged her mother. It was hesitant, but it was progress none the less. Quinn walked through the dining room and into the kitchen, slightly stunned at the sight of their hug but simply bounded over to them wrapped her arms around them.

"Now that we've had that conversation, how about I'll keep an eye on Beth and the two of you go out to the mall? Have some bonding time. I'm sure Charlotte would like some clothes other than those dresses from the Stone Age. And you'll probably need a laptop for school and some new furniture. And I'm sure you'll want to paint your room."

"Did Mum just crack a joke?" Charlie asked. "Followed by a rant."

"Yep, she's a regular comedian. I think it's the SNL she's been watching," answered Quinn, before turning to her mother. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. My girls need some time together as sisters, not as a mother and an aunt. Here. Take my credit card and get whatever you need."

"Alright," said Charlie, unsure. Sure they had some money but from what she had been told on the two day drive back, the Fabray family was now surviving as a single income household and on the money won from the divorce settlement. The girls made their way out to Quinn's car.

"Where do you want to hit first?"

"Mall. I need new clothes."

"Alright. The mall it is."

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><p>It was after closing in on dinner when the girls finally arrived home, smiles planted firmly on their faces as Quinn pulled the car into park and climbed out to collect their bags from the back seat. Charlie followed and softly giggled as they reminisced over their afternoon at the mall.<p>

_Quinn was standing in line at a small coffee shop in the food court, waiting for Charlie to exit the bookstore and the barista to call her name. She didn't see them until there was a tap on her shoulder. When she turned around there was her ex-boyfriend and his dwarf of a girlfriend (especially when she was standing right next to him)._

"_Hey Quinn," quipped Rachel._

"_Hey. Rachel," the blonde replied, looking at her friends awkwardly. They were holding hands and Finn was looking around avoiding her gaze. It seemed as if he still hadn't forgiven her entirely over the whole baby-daddy issue. Either that or he was a little overwhelmed by Rachel's ability to be so casual with public displays of affection. "Hi Finn."_

"_Hi." He was short and curt, straight to the point. Rachel however was more talkative as always._

"_How has the beginning of your summer been? How's little Beth doing?"_

"_It's been pretty good. Beth's good. She's started grabbing everything she can reach. You?"_

_It was obvious to Quinn as she stood there in here typical baby doll dress that Rachel was on the verge of a trademark rant when Charlie appeared at her shoulder, pulling out a soft animal as a present for her niece before she realised her sister had been talking to people._

_Rachel's face visibly paled at the thought of two Quinn's and her jaw dropped slightly. Finn's expression changed from a blank one to one Quinn knew personally; his mailman face. Guys and their fantasies._

"_This is my twin sister Charlie. She just moved back home. Chucks, this is Finn and Rachel. From Glee."_

"_Hi." Charlie had retreated into herself slightly as she remembered her black eye._

_Finn's face only screwed up more and Rachel muttered a polite 'hi, nice to meet you', before grabbing her boyfriend's hand and rushing off, speaking in hushed tones and they moved away from the sisters._

'Baby steps,' Quinn reminded herself. At least Charlie was smiling. "Did you see their faces?"

"So that was little Finn Hudson, huh?" asked Charlie.

"Yep."

"He's definitely grown."

"Yeah, it was like one day he was barely five foot, the next he next he was over six foot."

"And who was the little brunette with him?" the older twin asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively at her twin as they walked up the front path.

"Oh don't go there! That's disgusting," laughed Quinn. She saw her sister's smile falter for a moment. "Not about you being gay. You know I don't care about that. It's just...it's Man Hands, Treasure Trail, Ru Paul."

"You pick on her?"

"I used too. Slushie facial's most days at school. Names all the time. Insults."

"Why?"

They entered the front door and dropped their bags by the bottom of the stairs. Beth was sitting in her rocker as it bounced back and forth gently and they could hear Judy shuffling around in the kitchen. Quinn picked her daughter up and cuddled her in hello.

"William McKinley isn't like any other school. The hierarchy is so much more tougher. I was expected as a Cheerio to be cruel. Jocks and Cheerio's on the top, Rachel Berry on the bottom."

"What happened?"

"I got pregnant and pushed from the top of the pyramid. Next thing I knew I was next to her on the social food chain."

"Do you regret it?"

"Yes. She was nothing but nice to me through the whole thing. She offered her friendship all the time and every time I said no. I'm starting to wish I said yes."

Quinn looked pensive about her sister's behaviour towards Rachel Berry. There was something in her voice that Charlie picked up on. Her tone was gentler when she talked when she was talking about this girl. Charlie stopped talked about the brunette as they entered the kitchen, Beth happily gurgling and grabbing at Quinn's necklace.

There were bowls of vegetables and a roast sitting along the benches and island while Judy continued to shuffle around the kitchen. The twins were standing in the doorway watching their mother fret for at least sixty seconds before she noticed them there.

"Oh girls! How was your afternoon?" Judy asked as she took in her daughters. Charlie almost looked back to her old self. Her lip had been re-pierced, she was clad in a pair of loose skinny jeans and a dark purple and black plaid shirt. Charlie looked more like the girl she had been two years ago than the one they had brought home from Colorado. "Charlotte, you know I don't like that...thing in your lip."

"Look at it this way Mum," offered Quinn, before Charlie cut in.

"Once the bruising disappears at least you'll be able to tell us apart."

Quinn smiled at her sister's attempt of a joke. Now they were finishing off each other's sentences after only six hours of being together again.

"Oh, very funny. Go set the table you two and then help me bring this food out. Quinn there's a bottle here for Beth."

The girls did as they were told and somehow Quinn had managed to feed, burp and rock Beth to sleep and finish her dinner. It would have been like old times, without a drunk mother, a Charlie was surprised and proud at the same time. After dinner, Charlie and Quinn washed the dishes together before the young mother showed her sister exactly how to change a diaper. Charlie took the opportunity to hand over the small stuffed panda to her niece. Beth refused to let go as she was put into her crib.

"Just think. That's the first present of many that you're give her," said Quinn.

"To be a child. They're such little blackmailers," joked Charlie before they left the room, closing the door and leaving an inch gap.

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><p>Well, what did you think?<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, so two updates in two days and I am on a roll. Once again thanks for the comments. I didn't actually know because I didn't get any notification emails for chapter two but thanks anyways. piecesofyourheart asked where Charlie came from. I think it was someone on one of the livejournal communities like rachel_quinn or fafaberry.

So Charlie meets the rest of the gang and and promises Quinn to try and party it up a little at Pucks. This is what happened. Enjoy.

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><p>It was the last weekend before school was scheduled to start. On Monday Charlie was going to be attending William McKinley with her sister and her sister's friends. And she was scared shitless, especially after the horror stories Quinn had told her. It made her want to be home schooled again. With re-enrolment completed and the first day of junior year just around the corner, Puck had decided to have an end of summer bash and invited everyone to his mother's little house. Quinn had walked into Charlie's room unannounced as she had done all summer and simply said, "We're going to that party."<p>

Charlie waited for her sister to stop giving her the stare that said she was in charge before talking. If Beth was lucky and behaved for the rest of her life, she would be lucky to never be on the receiving end of that stare. But being Puck's daughter she was bound to get into _some_ trouble.

"Don't give me that look, I'm the older twin. You know that stare doesn't work on me. Why do I have to go?"

"Oh, please. You're only older than me by two minutes. Besides you need to meet people before we go back on Monday."

"But I'm still older. And that is a lame excuse little sis," deadpanned Charlie, before she went back to her AP English novel.

Quinn huffed softly, ready to stomp her foot and cross her arms. _'Okay what is with me channelling Berry all of the Goddamn time?'_

"Charlie, these last six weeks you've been back you have used every excuse under the sun to not come out and meet my friends. If you come out with me tonight you'll have people to talk to on Monday."

"To be honest Q, after what you've told me about McKinley and your reputation, I'd rather stay invisible."

"Please, please, please," Quinn begged, lowering herself onto her knees besides her sister's bed. "I'll never ask you for anything ever again."

"Except to babysit or help you with the dishes or to swap chores or help with your homework or a boy," Charlie jokingly explained, shoving her bookmark into the middle of _"Wuthering Heights"_.

"Okay, besides those. Please come out. You can meet the Glee club."

"Fine, if it will get you to shut up about it," said Charlie, leaning back into the pillows on her bed and reopening her book.

Quinn jumped up and hugged her sister tightly who simply patted her softly on the shoulder and looked over her arm to continue reading.

"We're leaving in an hour," said Quinn. Her voice had dropped the excitement as she headed for the ensuite she shared with her sister.

"It's four o'clock. I though Puckerman's parties didn't start until late?" asked Charlie, mildly confused.

"I convinced him to have a glee club only session before hand. Cook some burgers on the grill, chill out," she answered. "That way there's no pressure."

"If the big party gets a little confronting can we leave?"

"Yes. Just come and find me and we'll leave. I'm having a shower."

Earlier in the summer the two sisters had had a deep and meaningful conversation after Charlie had panicked on a particularly busy day at the mall. The blonde had developed a fear of large crowds as a result of her continued torment and isolation. When she had freaked out on Quinn, it had taken the younger twin half an hour to calm her down. When they had gotten home the twins had had an argument over whether or not to tell Judy, who then walked through the front door after a morning at the park with Beth and asked what was going on.

Charlie had been seeing a therapist since then to deal with her fears and trauma.

"Wait! What am I supposed to wear?" Charlie yelled at the closed door.

A moment later, Quinn's head popped out through a crack in the door. "No plaid shirts." And with that the door closed again the sound of water running could be heard.

It was an hour and a half and three arguments over clothes later when they finally arrived at the Puckerman house. Quinn had begged Charlie to avoid the plaid shirts while Charlie pleaded for her sister to wear something other than a dress. The eldest twin had outright refused to give up her jeans and a thin hoodie. She needed somewhere to shove her hands so she wouldn't fidget if things at the party got awkward.

Eventually they had comprised: Quinn would pick out Charlie's outfit and Charlie would pick Quinn's. Thankfully the young mother had taken Charlie shopping quite a few times over the summer in an attempt to get her into a dress. The closest she had gotten was a pair of boy shorts to sleep in and some skirts that were gathering dust in the bottom drawer of Charlie's dresser. Her excuse was she had worn an old woman's dresses for two years, she wanted to wear in whatever she wanted.

Charlie nearly had resort to her own wardrobe because it seemed that Quinn only owned dresses and cardigans. Charlie had found a short jean skirt in the back of Quinn's closet that was immediately dismissed as Santana's. She had scoffed at Quinn and muttered something about being a good little girl.

The eldest twin was sporting a lengthy stripped multicoloured hoodie with a low rounded neckline. Her traditional black skinny jeans were covering her legs. When Charlie had gone to pull on her green converse, Quinn had simply thrown a pair of flip flops at her head. Quinn had practically had to tie her sister to her desk chair to do her hair.

Charlie had chosen a red and white V-neck top that flared out gently just below a thick black belt around the middle for Quinn, blending perfectly with her faded blue jeans. Quinn had thrown a jean jacket over the top at her sister's protest and some flats. ("Not everyone wears hoodie's every day of the week, Charlie.") Her hair was straight and both twins had silver necklaces hanging around their necks, each with the first letter of their name.

There were several old and banged up cars already parked outside of Puck's house. As the girls exited the car and Quinn locked it, she double checked the bag in the back seat.

"What are you doing?" Charlie asked.

"Just making sure I have my bag," answered Quinn, dropping her keys into her jacket pocket and joined Charlie on the front path.

"What's with the bag?"

"With new girls, Puck has a habit of spilling a drink on them in an effort to get them to take their shirt off. It's a back up if he tries it on you."

Charlie laughed. "Seriously?"

Quinn nodded and laughed along with her before leading her sister around the side of the small one story house to the back gate. "Just watch yourself around him. Two copies of his 'baby mama' and his fantasies are going to be off the charts."

As they turned the back corner of the house, the backyard came into view and the rest of the gleeks were lounging either around or in the pool. Charlie gathered from the yelling over music that Puck was going inside to get the meat and Finn was setting up the barbeque. Kurt, Rachel and Mercedes were gossiping in a little circle by a bon fire. Artie was sitting with them but glaring at Mike at the same time as he wooed the wheelchair bound boy's ex-girlfriend. And Brittany and Santana were relaxing in the pool talking to the Asian couple at the same time.

It started with Santana staring as they crossed the yard. A moment silence from Santana caught Brittany's attention and she and the Asian couple spotted the twins. Mike didn't look that bothered by it, but he had never been tormented by the Cheerio. Artie noticed next when Tina went quiet and turned to see what they were looking at. His jaw dropped and he slapped Kurt in the arm without moving his gaze from the girls. Kurt gasped dramatically and Mercedes nearly dropped her drink.

Finn didn't see them until Rachel yelled out, "I told you there was two Quinn's! You all thought I was making it up!"

"Guys, this is my obviously twin sister Charlie," said Quinn, introducing her to the group. Charlie nervously waved and offered a hesitant smile before shoving her hands into her jeans.

No one said anything until Puck came out juggling a plate of meat and a couple of beers. He caught sight of Quinn out of the corner of his eye and went about putting the plate down before turning around. "Hey Baby Ma-woah!"

He stuttered along for a moment or two. "Twins? Since when?"

"Since the day we were born," said Charlie, eyes wide as she tried not to laugh at his comment.

"Well then," said Puck, almost sauntering over to Charlie with an extra beer and a leering look on his face. He spoke when he offered it to her, flexing his muscles as he went. "I'm the Puckasaurus."

Quinn rolled her eyes at him. He had a daughter with her and here he was hitting on her twin. Shameless.

"And I'm gay, so don't even try it. Okay?" smiled Charlie, taking the beer from his hand, patting him sympathetically on the shoulder and following Quinn over to the pool. Puck went back to a giggling Finn by the grill with a scowl on his face. At least Finn didn't have his mailman face on again. That would have been just a bit awkward in front of the whole group.

Most of the kids laughed and the awkwardness of a Quinn clone was effectively broken.

"Why didn't I think of that earlier? It got rid of him faster than normal," said Santana, eyeing Charlie up from her spot on the floating raft. There was a smirk on her face and she was unsure if it was because she threw it back in Puck's face or because Santana was checking her out.

"True. But he'll come back twice as fast," said Charlie. "I take it that he's the kind of guy that will constantly ask to watch a girl make-out with another."

"Yeah. Sometimes he won't even ask," the Latina replied, remembering one certain party where she had been drunk and making out with Brittany when Puck had walked in. "Perv."

Tina and Mike sort of stared at Santana's confession. Charlie realised that she had just outed herself to an entire group of strangers in less than thirty seconds of being introduced to them. Brittany was looking at the twins with a blank look on her face before she turned to Santana.

"Why are there two Quinn's?" she whispered.

Both blonde's could easily hear here from the other side of the pool and chuckled. Earlier in the day, Quinn had tried to explain the glee club members in as few words as possible. Brittany was explained as 'slow'.

"They're twins, B. It's Quinn and Charlie."

"But 'Charlie' is a boy's name."

"It's a nickname. Right?" asked Santana, turning away from her BFF.

Charlie nodded politely, still fidgeting with her hands. She knew this was going to be awkward, news and proof of a Quinn Fabray look-a-like would spread like wildfire and she would most likely treated as if she was recovering from a contagious disease: they would stay away until they were sure she was okay, or until she proved herself in some way.

There were eyes burning holes into the back of her head and Charlie didn't want to turn around because she knew it was Puck trying to figure out how she got the upper hand so quickly. When she did turn around under the idea of looking around the yard and at the house, she could see Rachel staring at her with something the blonde had recognised in Quinn's eyes. They both had conflicted feelings about each other and Charlie had a feeling her presence might make it worse.

"So _Charlie_, how come we've never heard of you?" asked Santana.

Earlier in the evening, when Charlie and Quinn had been getting ready for the party, they had discussed what to say if either of them were asked why no one ever knew about Charlie, or where she had been for the past two years. After talking to Judy and agreeing that whatever had happened in Colorado (of which Charlie still had yet to disclose the details), they had decided on boarding school in Indiana with Judy's parents.

"I've been at boarding school. In Indiana. I was a bit of a pain in the arse to my parents before we moved here." The kids in and around the pool nodded at her answer, the only one not entirely buying was Santana even though she didn't push it. Charlie could practically see the cogs turning in her mind, just unsure at where her plan was aiming for.

"Another bad-arse? We don't need any more of those McKinley," said Rachel as she stalked to the poolside, glaring at the twins.

"I'm not so much anymore, so I think you're safe, Rachel," Charlie retaliated gently. The last thing she needed was to get on the diva's bad side. According to Quinn, she could talk your ear off.

"Puck, why did you invite the hobbit?" asked Santana, completely ignoring the effects her comment may have on the brunette.

Charlie looked over her shoulder. "Baby-mama said glee kids and unfortunately she's in glee. And I know not to get on baby-mama's bad side. Not to mention my best friend's girlfriend."

"You gonna sleep with this one too?"

It went eerily silent. Even Finn stopped to stare at the mohawked kid. "It was one time. You're never going to let me live it down are you?"

"Nope. Berry, stay away from the wine coolers."

"You love to stir shit, don't you?" asked Quinn, as she turned to take Rachel stalk, not walk back Mercedes, Artie and Kurt.

"It's my specialty."

When Quinn turned back it was to Charlie smiling softly at her, like she knew something that Quinn didn't. "What?"

"Nothing." Charlie shook her head and finally opened the beer she had taken from Puck.

"No, seriously. What?"

"Nothing."

Quinn fixed her with her stern motherly stare again. Yeah, Beth was screwed.

"Fine, later."

She could hear the group behind her talking, not very quietly, but Charlie's hearing ability had gotten sharper over the past two years. All that time away, she had to know when someone was going to come up into the attic or down into the basement; she had to understand what the tiniest sound was. She had a sinking feeling that subtly wasn't their forte. And the same goes for keeping secrets. She was distracted when Tina asked her a question.

"So what type of stuff do you like? Please don't say cheerleading."

Charlie laughed. "Anything but. I like photography, reading, music. I'm pretty laid back until someone gets in my face or Q's."

"What kind of music?"

"A little bit of everything. I'll listen to Five Finger Death Punch and then Beethoven and then Katy Perry."

"Nice," nodded Tina. She smiled at Charlie and continued "I'm mostly gothic or heavy metal. So since you like Five Finger Death Punch, you're good with me."

"Mike, right?"

"Yeah."

"What do you like?"

"I like to dance. I like football. I like Tina."

The girl next to him blushed a deep red and buried her head in his shoulder. Charlie and Quinn smiled at the couple and then at each other.

When Puck had called that the meat was ready and there was salad in the kitchen, Quinn had felt herself being pulled aside by the teen father. He had a look on his face of sincerity and the mother of his child reached into her back pocket to pull out a small wallet size picture of Beth smiling goofily into the camera, reaching for it with a chubby hand. When she handed the photo to Puck, he asked when he could see her. Quinn was livid.

"Three month later and you want to see her?"

"Look, I'm sorry I haven't been there over the summer. I'm not ready for a kid, you knew that when you decided to keep her."

"Says the guy who swears he's not a deadbeat like his father. You think I'm ready for a child? No I'm not Puck, but at least I'm manning up the situation. I have a child to care for Puck, I know that. Goodbye social life. You have to prove that you want to be there before you can see her!" Quinn exclaimed. "Prove that you want to be a father and not just the guy who she sometimes calls 'Dad'."

Quinn walked away from him shaking her head and grabbed some food for her and Charlie before sitting back down next to her sister.

For the next half hour, Charlie sat back with Quinn at her side and the watched people she would call peers, friends even, on Monday as they talked and ate and drank. She liked watching people. It let her figure them out. She would notice things other people probably wouldn't, like how Rachel had been sneaking glances at her all night or how she had caught Quinn staring at the brunette three times already. She was sure that something was going on between Brittany and Santana especially since they were practically groping each other in the pool.

Somehow someone had mentioned an impromptu sing-a-long session and Puck had pulled a guitar out of thin air and the garage door opened for Finn to get behind the drum kit. Charlie looked around nervously as the group gathered around, unsure of what was going on and what she should do. To them, it seemed such a natural thing for them to just gather around Puck's open garage and sing. To Charlie, it seemed like something out of a primetime TV show.

"Any requests? Please make it something we did in Glee last year," Puck pleaded, strumming his guitar experimentally.

"And NO RAPS!" commented Kurt. The whole group laughed, and Charlie remembered Quinn telling her around Mr Schuester's not-so-secret love for rapping in class.

"Somebody To Love," said Finn.

"Imagine," offered Tina.

"Glee Club!" yelled Brittany.

"Don't Stop Believing," said Rachel. The entire group was long overdue for a Rachel Berry Rant. "If we are going to introduce Charlotte to talent that is Glee Club, we need to start at the beginning. That song is iconic in Glee Club's history. It's the first and last song we performed as a group. Not to mention it's the song that kept Mr Schue from leav-,"

"Wrong. The last one was 'To Sir With Love'. I say we do 'Somebody To Love' but we split it up so that everyone can have a solo," said Mercedes, earning a high five from Kurt.

"Rachel, my name is Charlie, not Charlotte. My mum is the only one who calls me that."

"Oooh, someone who can shut Berry up. You should have come back sooner," Santana smirked from behind Brittany.

The diva earned a glare from both Fabray's and huffed a little bit before sitting down in her seat on the other side of Quinn. "Who's for 'Somebody'?"

Everyone raised their hands in a vote. Even Charlie.

"It's decided but please take notice of my displeasure."

"Nah," said Santana.

A few people scoffed at Rachel's request but they moved on anyway. As the group began splitting up sections of the song, Charlie stared at Santana. There was something about this girl, there had to be a reason behind her attitude. But unless the opportunity presented itself to Charlie, she wasn't going to go looking for trouble. Some would say that the Latina's bite was just as bad as her bark.

"Everyone know their parts?" asked Finn, looking around at the group. When they all nodded he went on. "Alright on the count of four."

He tapped lightly on the hi-hat symbols of the guitar and started the song. He and Rachel had the first verse of the song. And not long after the group joined in to harmonise in the background, Puck along with his guitar. Charlie's eyes drifted over the other members of the group, sheer enjoyment and happiness on their faces as they sang, before they landed back on Santana. The Latina was staring back this time. Tina and Artie began singing the next and Finn's drumming became just a little more violent.

When Santana began her part, the trance she was in with Charlie felt like it grew stronger. It was almost as if the brunette was singing to her, not with the group. It was when Quinn and Puck broke into the song for the last verse before the big finale, that Charlie was pulled out of her trance with Santana. She had never actually heard Quinn sing. It sounded a whole lot better than Charlie's little musings to herself when she was on her own.

Mercedes belted out the final notes of the song and Charlie's eyes sought out Santana's but she didn't find them as she found herself smiling and clapping along with everyone else.

"What did you think?" asked Mike. He hadn't had a part, but he was enthusiastically waiting for her answer.

"Well done. It was awesome."

"Crap. Karofsky's here with the guys. Party time kids," smiled Puck, putting the guitar back into its case and locking the garage.

Everyone moved their chairs back to the bonfire and Puck locked up the pool. He didn't need anyone drowning because they were too drunk to swim. He quickly posted a sign on the back door that the backyard was off limits, and only people who wanted to have a cigarette could go out there. Charlie excused herself for the toilet but her twin caught up to her.

"What was that with Santana?"

Busted! Charlie hadn't thought that anyone had seen her, but they were twins. If one was going through something, the other could sense it. There was that and the fact that they had been sitting next to each other.

"Why do you keep staring at Rachel?"

"I asked first."

Charlie looked at her sister. It was a pathetic excuse and they both knew it, but it worked anyway. "I don't know what you're talking about. Now you."

"I don't know. I guess I feel guilty for treating her bad. Seeing Santana be mean, it's like a flashback."

Charlie was sceptical about Quinn's answer but went along with it if it meant it would get her off Charlie's back. She retreated to the toilet to calm herself down. Soon Puck's house was going to be filled to the lid with drunk teenagers and she really didn't want one of them going for it with her. but she had promised Quinn she would try.

A few minutes later, Charlie walked out, burying her hands into her pockets and she pushed past some kids towards the kitchen; that was where the glee kids were going to be hanging out for the night. Unfortunately Charlie didn't have much luck. She had gotten halfway across the living room when a rather big guy in a red and white letterman's jacket stopped her.

"What's up Fabray? Hey I got a question," said the boy. It looked as if he had started the party early, she could smell the alcohol on his breath when he leaned in. "Since you gave it up to Puckerman, how about you give me a go?"

"Wrong Fabray," she whispered, but he wasn't letting up. She was going to freak out in the middle of Puckerman's living room when a hand grabbed hers. Charlie looked under his arm to see Santana pulling at her arm.

"Beat it Karofsky."

"I'm going," he yelped, scattering back towards his friends.

"You can tell Puck to back off but not Karofsky?"

"He thought I was Quinn," Charlie answered, plopping into a kitchen table seat. "Thanks, Santana."

"Whatever," she said softly before going to join some other girls further in the house. There was no attitude to her voice, no underlying bitterness.

Charlie stared after her and Rachel dropped into the seat next to her. It was going to be a long night.

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><p>What did you think? What would you like more of? More about Charlie's time in Colorado, more of FaBerry or more of SantanaCharlie? Just let me know in your reviews. Thanks guys


	4. Chapter 4

Okay so this is longer than the usual chapters. I was going to post last night but the login wasn't working. And for those of you wondering, Charlie was created by ledashann on tumblr. Thanks to DreamAddict18 for that info. I know there isn't a lot of interaction, but this is just getting the ball rolling for school. Includes a little bit of behind the scenes of Empire State of Mind from episode one.

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><p>School was scheduled to start in just over two hours at eight am. These days Quinn didn't need an electronic alarm, she had a living one down the hall that would cry at twenty to six most mornings. She was thankful she had a sister and a mother who were willing to pick up the little girl every so often so Quinn could get just a little more sleep.<p>

As she made her way down the hallway, her daughter's cries became louder and when she walked in to the pale blue room. Beth was in her crib on her back screaming her lungs out for some attention. When she was picked up Beth's crying stopped and Quinn made her way to her sister's room carrying the little girl. When the younger twin opened Charlie's bedroom door she could see the girl tossing and turning in her bed, the sheets wrapped tightly around her legs.

_Jackson was standing over with his favourite baseball bat, yelling at her. Charlie was lying against the wall with a bloodied nose, clutching her ribs and crying._

"Charlie," Quinn called, cuddling Beth and her toy penguin to keep her calm.

Charlie didn't wake and Quinn could see the girl's eyes drifting back and forth under her eyelids even from the doorway as if she was thinking, trying to figure out what to do. But Charlie looked scared more than anything as her eyes moved.

"Charlie."

_Jackson lifted the bat over his head with one arm. "You're hopeless!" The bat came down swiftly and strongly, connecting with Charlie's head. _

"Charlie!" Quinn was all but yelling now. Any louder and she was sure she would upset her daughter.

The reminder of Jackson's favourite baseball bat connecting with her head was enough to pull her out of her nightmare and Quinn's voice finally made it through the bank of fog resting in Charlie's mind. Charlie's breathing was erratic and she was covered in sweat.

"Hey!" Her head snapped up to look at her sister. Quinn had an eyebrow raised at her, worry etched on her face. "You okay?"

Charlie let out a breath she didn't even realise she had been holding. "Yeah."

"What was that about?"

"Nothing." Quinn raised her other eyebrow. "Bad dream."

The older twin seemed to accept that at an answer. Charlie ran a hand through her damp hair.

"You ready for today?"

"No," she scoffed. "You mind if I take the first shower?"

"Go ahead. I gotta feed this one anyways." Quinn smiled at Beth and then back at Charlie.

The older twin fiddled with the sheets momentarily before standing up and tickling the baby's belly in a hello. Beth gurgled and the girls went their separate way, Charlie to the bathroom and Quinn to the kitchen. Charlie went about brushing her teeth as the shower water heated up. Looking in the mirror and concluded that she looked like shit. She still hadn't been sleeping for more than three or four hours at a time. While her sleeping patterns had been getting better, there was no way she was going to survive on three hours of sleep a night on top of the academic and social aspects of high school and a three and a month baby in the house who probably got more sleep than she did.

The hot water cascading down her back did very little to help her relax. Knowing she couldn't take too long, that feeding Beth would take less than ten minutes, Charlie forced herself through her early morning fatigue to begin the routine she had planned in her head.

Downstairs Quinn was leaning against the kitchen counter, Beth in her arms and a bottle propped up as the child guzzled the formula down greedily. Judy was flittering around the kitchen preparing the ingredients she would need for a breakfast feast to send the girls off to their first day of their junior year of high school.

"She's still having those nightmares," stated Quinn.

"I know. Her therapist seems to be helping," Judy offered. She was aware of Charlie's nightmares and the fact that they were still on-going even though she had been prescribed some sleeping pills.

"A bit, but not very much. She doesn't even take her sleeping pills. You know she spent half the summer sleeping in my room because she can't sleep alone."

"I know, but after everything that happened to her-," Judy started, but Quinn interrupted.

"Which we don't even know."

"-she needs her family around her. We need to make her feel safe, Quinn. The repercussions of everything she went through are not going to disappear overnight or now that school has started."

"I know. I just... I just want her to be okay."

"We all do sweetheart," Judy half hugged her daughter. "Now give me my granddaughter and go and get ready for school."

Quinn handed her daughter to her mother, pressing a soft kiss to her crown, left the towel and the bottle on the bench and turned for the stairs.

"Wait! What do you want for breakfast?" yelled Judy.

"I'm not even hungry."

"Pancakes it is."

Quinn simply nodded politely and disappeared around the corner and up the stairs. Charlie was heading down at the same time, dressed in her usual hoodie jacket and skinny jeans, her backpack slung over her shoulder. Her hair was pulled up roughly and there were stands sticking out at all angles. She looked like hell.

"Stop right there," ordered Quinn.

They stopped side by side halfway up the staircase and Quinn set about fixing Charlie's hair until she looked a little more presentable.

"If Mum sees you looking like shit, she's going to stuff food down your throat. On no sleep, a stomach full of her pancakes is dangerous," Quinn laughed. "There you go."

"Thanks, Q." Charlie smiled thankfully at her sister and headed downstairs for some breakfast. She dumped her bag at the bottom of the stairs so that it was ready to go at seven thirty. It was only a ten minute drive to school but Charlie had to finish the last of her enrolment forms and collect her schedule.

When Charlie entered the kitchen Judy was trying to balance Beth on one shoulder and burp the child and cook pancakes at the same time. "Here, mum. Let me burp her and you can finish with breakfast. Come here, munchkin."

With her arms free of a three month old, Judy went back to her breakfast feast preparations.

"Your sister mentioned you're still having nightmares," Judy started, her eyes lifting from the cook book in front of her to look at Charlie burping Beth. This had become a regular sight in the Fabray household: Judy reading a cook book and one of the twins attending to the little girl.

"Yeah. Not every night, but most nights."

"You look tired, sweetie."

"I am tired, but I can't sleep. I'm almost afraid to sleep."

"Why?" asked Judy, pausing mid-stir of mixing the pancake mix.

"It's the one place where they still have control over me," Charlie whispered.

There was a comfortable silence throughout the kitchen, the only sounds being the soft patting on the baby's back and the sizzling of pancakes on the stovetop.

"Have you told Doctor Crean?"

"Yeah, she gave me the sleeping pills but they don't work. Well they do, but only in putting me to sleep. They don't take away the nightmares and it's like I'm trapped every night between a wall and Jackson's baseball bat," Charlie admitted quietly. This was the most honest she had been with her mother or her sister over what happened to her in Colorado.

Judy gasped and Quinn's pancakes began to burn.

"Pancakes are burning, mum."

As Judy hurried to flip the pancakes, Beth finally burped. "I'm sorry, Charlo-, Charlie."

"I know mum," Charlie smiled softly as she cleaned her niece up.

"What do you want for breakfast, dear?" asked Judy. She had her back to her daughter and Charlie opened her mouth to talk. "And don't say you're not hungry. Pancakes?"

Charlie smiled at her mother and tickled Beth, remembering Quinn's earlier statement about Judy's pancakes on an empty stomach and not having gotten enough sleep.

"How about some bacon and eggs?"

"Bacon and eggs it is. Now go and set the table."

Judy had somehow developed a habit of being able to defuse tense environments. Charlie picked up the plates that had cutlery sitting on the top of the pile awkwardly and took them into the dining room. All the while, she was juggling Beth at the same time. In the twenty minutes they had been talking and burping Beth, Quinn had showered dressed in her typical dress and packed her school bag. She dropped it next to Charlie's and sat down at the table.

"Have you both finished your homework?" asked Judy, pulling some toast from the plate.

"Yes," the girls chorused, rolling their eyes.

"Did Doctor Crean say anything about starting public school? Or school at all for that matter?"

"She said I need something to keep me occupied. Extracurricular. The homework was too easy. So I'll probably fly through most of the classes."

"Most of your classes are AP! How are you going to fly through all four classes plus two general classes?" asked Quinn. She had struggled slightly through her two AP summer homework.

Charlie shrugged and smiled.

Half an hour later with their breakfast finished and bags on their shoulder, Quinn was cuddling her daughter. It was going to be the first time she had been separated from the little girl for more than an hour. Eight hours as day, five days a week plus glee practice on some days, Charlie came to the conclusion that her sister was definitely going to be having withdrawal symptoms. Hell, Charlie was going to have them. She had grown quite attached to the little girl.

"Come on. You can call at lunch to make sure she's okay," joked Charlie as she kissed Beth on the head and then her mother on the cheek.

Quinn handed her daughter over and kissed her mother as well, dragging her sister out to the car. As they drove Charlie gave Quinn a little grief over missing Beth during the day. They both knew of the photo's sitting in the front pocket of Quinn's bag.

"I have a question for you," said Charlie, as they pulled onto the road the school was located on.

"I think I'm going to regret this but what?"

"Why were you staring at Rachel the other night at the party? The real answer this time please."

Quinn knew this had been coming all weekend. Several times after the glee club had performed an impromptu version of 'Somebody To Love' during the party at Puck's house, from across the kitchen Charlie had caught her sister staring at the diva.

"What makes you think I was staring at her?"

"Oh, so you were staring at Finn?" Charlie's crooked grin made Quinn scoff. "I highly doubt that."

"I already told you why, Chucks."

"And I'm calling bullshit," she said sarcastically. Quinn let out a laugh and turned a corner. "Quinn."

"Just let me figure it out in my head first. If I need to talk to someone I'll come and find you. And I beg you, do not make me watch you perv on Santana all day."

"Why would I perv on her?"

Quinn pulled the car into the already half full car park and yanked the handbrake on. She turned in her seat to face her twin.

"Because she'll be wearing her Cheerio's uniform which consists of a very tight top and short, short skirt."

"Ok so I might have a little look, but what's wrong with looking?" she asked innocently, shrugging her shoulders and hopping out of the car.

Quinn shook her head. "You're worse than Puck."

"Not possible. He would do more than just watch."

"This conversation is over. Let's just get you to the office."

With five minutes before homeroom, Charlie left the office with her schedule and thanked Mary for her help. The old lady behind the desk looked scared. It seemed that Quinn's reputation had been underestimated when it was explained to Charlie. She looked down the hall and could see Quinn packing her books away into her locker, checking her schedule to make sure she had the right books.

As she made her way down the hall towards her sister, Charlie was stopped by the same guy from the party. 'Karofsky', she thought, trying to remember. She had only had two beers.

"Fabray," he said, stopping her in the middle of the hall. Her converse squeaked on the linoleum floors. "When did you get the lip piercing?"

"I think you've got the wrong girl," she offered. When she tried to move around him, he blocked her path again. She could see Santana and Brittany joining Quinn at her locker. They were all watching the oaf of a boy taunting her. Quinn hadn't been kidding when she said the tops were tight and the skirts were short.

"Nah. There's only one of you. I got the right girl."

"Beat it Karofsky!" Santana yelled down the hall.

When he turned to look at her, he saw Quinn down the hall and his head flew back and forth between the two Fabray's before he scurried away.

"Told ya. Wrong girl," said Charlie walking past him. "Thanks Santana."

"Whatever," she said, shrugging Charlie off and returning her attention to filing her nails.

"Hi Quinn," Brittany waved at Charlie. The twins looked at each other for a moment and Santana rolled her eyes.

"That's Quinn, that's Charlie, B. Twins remember. We talked about this at Puck's on Friday," explained Santana.

"Oh yeah. Hi Quinn!"

The three girls rolled their eyes again.

"What number locker did you get?" asked Quinn.

Charlie looked up at the numbers on the steel doors. It was the one next to Quinn's. "This one."

The bell went a moment later and Charlie filed her books away, following Quinn to homeroom. Her first class was AP English with Quinn, Santana and Rachel. Somehow she had ended up partnered with Rachel for her table partner and subsequently was her partner for their semester long assignment when Santana had told her to get lost. She felt sorry for the girl and said it was okay. When their teacher Mrs Jones was calling the register, most people did a double take when the name Fabray came up twice, including the teacher. She then went on to yell at them because half the kids in the class didn't finish the set homework which they had had eight weeks to complete.

It was going to be a long day if she was going to be getting stared at every time she walked down the hall or when the register was taken or when most of the kids didn't complete their homework. She pondered the idea if they were going to get any work done at all if all of her teachers would yell at the kids for not doing homework in every class.

It was fourth period when Charlie found she didn't have a class, just study hall. Quinn was in her art class so she was on her own for the hour. According to Santana and Quinn, no one ever actually went to study hall so she found herself walking through the halls, identifying her classrooms, mentally planning her routes for the rest of the day and week when she stumbled across the abandoned choir room and the rather large piano sitting in the middle of the room. Quinn and Judy had taken it upon themselves during the summer to keep her occupied most of the day, to try and tire her out so she could sleep. Charlie had had very little time on her own to play the piano. She and Quinn had resorted to it one night to settle Beth but that had been it.

Walking in, she closed the door and settled her bag on the floor next to the seat and brushing her fingers over the keys. The familiarity of the piano was comforting; the posture was second nature to her as her fingers glided effortlessly in an unnamed melody. Charlie felt her eyes close as the random notes turned into a slowed version of a Sheryl Crow song. Before she knew it she was singing along to the notes, her voice scratchy.

Immediately she noted another difference between herself and her sister. Quinn's singing voice was light and strong at the same time. Charlie's was gravelly and uneven in places. As she broke into an unplanned solo, Charlie didn't hear the office door opening behind her. She chalked the roughness of her voice up to damage from the screaming she had done when Jackson had broken her collarbone, or when she was so hungry she could barely talk.

_The first cut is the deepest, Try to love again_

The finally keys rang out in the empty room. Charlie smiled to herself. There was a heavy clapping from behind her and she turned on the piano chair so fast she nearly fell off. There was a teacher clapping and smiling broadly at her little performance. She smiled politely. "I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone else was in here."

"It's okay, Quinn. That was amazing. I didn't know you could play the piano."

Charlie's smiled dropped instantly and there was a small amount of anger rising from the pit of her stomach. "I'm not Quinn. Charlie. Her twin."

"Ahh. I didn't know she had a twin a sister. Will Schuester. Nice to meet you Charlie."

The name Schuester seemed to click in Charlie's memory. This was the Glee Club teacher who rapped and wore too many vests. The one who's hair made Coach Sylvester want to vomit. "Thanks. You too. I should probably head to study hall."

"That's okay. You don't have to leave. I actually have a proposition for you," he smiled. "Glee Club is out by one member. We need twelve members to compete at Sectionals, Regional's and Nationals. With Matt gone, we need one more. Would you like to join? We could really use you if you don't mind putting up with Rachel. She can be a little full on when it comes to music and performing."

Even the teachers were giving Rachel flack. Doctor Crean had mentioned something about needing an extracurricular to keep her busy outside of school.

"I'm not sure. I mean I've got four AP classes, a three month old niece at home and weekly appointments. I don't know if I'd have the time."

"That's okay. It's only your first day. How about you come to this afternoons meeting and you can see how we operate. If you don't feel you'll be able to cope you don't have to join."

"Sure."

"Great. I'll see you after school."

Just as Charlie left the choir room, unsure of how she had somehow gotten herself into Glee Club without even trying, the bell for lunch rang and she hurried off down the hall back to her locker towards Quinn. A boy with glasses and an afro hurried past carrying a microphone and another following him with handmade signs and a camera. There were some weird people in this school.

When she arrived in the hallway of her locker she could hear the boys asking Quinn, Santana and Brittany. The two cheerleaders were one again filing their names and Quinn was getting her books out for fifth period after lunch. Charlie arrived just as the boy asked a question.

"How has life changed since the birth of your bastard child?"

To say Quinn was pissed was an understatement. Her jaw was locked and her eyes were practically red. Charlie began walking a little bit faster and bumped the boy hard, causing him to fall over. While the camera guy had obviously been focussed on Santana's breasts, he had caught a glimpse of Charlie and the camera flew back and forth between the two Fabray's.

"Not a word about the kid, you got me? Or you'll have me and Puck to deal with."

"And the rest of the Cheerios and jocks," said Santana. "Beat it, Jewfro!"

'Beat it!' seemed to be Santana's phrase of the day. Both boys scampered away down the hall to annoy Kurt who hurried into a bathroom. When he decided to stand up Jewfro, two football players came around the corner and Charlie got her first look at what it meant to be slushied.

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><p>Her day was finally over and now all she had to do was sit through an hour long Glee Club meeting before she could go home and finish her calculus and physics homework. She met up with Quinn, Brittany and Santana outside of their lockers just like the earlier in the day. When they began walking to the choir room, the cheerleaders took the lead and Charlie found herself staring at Santana's legs. The Latina turned and caught her, smirking at the blonde as they walked. Quinn bumped her shoulder to get her attention. Charlie smiled at her sister and lowered her gaze as they entered the choir room.<p>

"Okay guys, welcome back!" announced Schuester. "First of all, I'd like to introduce Charlie. She's sitting in on today's lesson to see how we operate. Apparently she has a rather large academic load so if she had enough time to allocate to glee she's going to be joining us. Secondly, there is a lot of negative talk going on about glee."

"We get it Mister Schue. Everyone still hates us. So what? So we're plankton on the high school food chain. The only difference now is that none of us really care," explained Kurt.

"Yeah. We're a family. They can't break us," Mercedes chimed in.

"I'm really happy that you guys have bonded, but all this negative stuff is keeping other kids from joining," said Schuester.

"No offence to Charlie, but why do we need more members?" asked Tina.

"Now that Matt has transferred, we only have eleven members. If we want to go to Nationals and beat Vocal Adrenaline, we need to go from this tiny rebel force to a giant wall of sound."

Charlie looked around with a blank face, taking in what everyone was saying, what everyone was doing. Puck was half asleep in the front row next to Artie, who would turn around every now and then to glare at Mike. Quinn looked half asleep and dying to get out of school so she could see Beth. Mercedes and Kurt were fiddling with their hands. Brittany and Santana were sitting with their backs straight and their eyes forward. For the most part, everyone seemed to be ignoring the teacher for the most part. Except Rachel.

"Mister Schuester's right you guys," said Rachel, walking to stand next to their teacher. "You guys didn't see Vocal Adrenaline, they were epic. We're going to need more voices in order to beat them."

Everyone could see what happened next coming from a mile away. Finn started nodding and stood to take his place next to his girlfriend. "I'm with Rachel on this one."

"Gross," muttered Brittany. Santana snorted and Quinn actually managed a smile.

"You have to trust me on this guys. Now National's are in New York City this year. We're going! Let's go out there and show the school how cool it's going to be, how cool we can be. If they're not going to come to us, let's go to them. They say we only sing show tunes and eighty's pop. Let's show them how down we are. Let's give them the song of the year: New Direction's style."

"Wow, Schuester. You just about beat Berry with her rant's," joked Santana.

Most of the kid's giggled and they all got to planning. They already had their song and now it was just the choreography, costumes and locations. Kurt put himself in charge of costumes but was quickly reminded by Mr Schuester that there were to be no feather boas or elaborative headsets. Mercedes and Quinn soon joined him. Santana, Brittany and Mike were in the middle of the floor with the teacher creating moves and the rest of the group were by the piano, dividing the song into sections. Charlie sat in her seat quietly just watching. Every now and then both Rachel and Santana would sneak glances at her. She was thankful when Schuester announced that it was four thirty and that they could go home.

"Hey Rach!" said Charlie, jogging out of the choir room to catch the little diva as she left with Finn.

"Yes, Charlie?" She had to give a rather hard tug on Finn's arm to get him to actually stop.

Charlie looked between them. "About that English assignment. I know it's only the first day of school and everything, but do you wanna get together on the weekend to get started?"

"Thank you for asking ahead of time. I like to make plans at least a week in advance so I can plan around other events.. How about I come over Saturday morning at ten?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll see you then," replied Charlie, waiting for Quinn to catch up as they walked together to the main entrance near the student car park.

"What did you think? You gonna join?" asked Quinn, on the way out to her car.

"Maybe. Let's see how your little performance goes tomorrow."

Quinn pulled out her phone and listened to the voice messages from Judy.

"Crap! Mum got called into work."

"She's a receptionist." The look on Charlie's face said it all.

"I know. But I have to go and pick Beth up from the sitter's. I promised Puck when I gave him those photo's that I'd bring her over. Do you want me to take you home?" asked Quinn.

"Nah. It's a sunny day. I've got my iPod. I think I'll walk," explained Charlie, shifting her bag to pull her iPod out.

"You sure? Do you even know where to go?"

"Yes to both counts. I'll see you at home."

With a heavy beat drumming away in her ears and setting her walking pace, Charlie made her way towards her house. Every time the song changed, a new tempo would begin and her pace would change along with it. It wasn't until she was halfway home that she stopped in her tracks, pulling out a headphone. Santana was parked on the side of the street, leaning against her car waiting for something. Or someone.

"Hey," she said, as Charlie noticed her and slowed to a stop barely two feet away from her.

"Hey yourself. Are you stalking me?" joked the blonde, pulling out her other headphone and letting it sit down the front of her hoodie.

"Would you mind if I was?"

"Not really sure. Being stalked by Santana Lopez either sounds like someone's worst nightmare or a really good dream," said Charlie. She wasn't sure what was making her flirt with the girl standing before her but she couldn't seem to stop herself. "But I though you would be joined at the hip with Brittany."

"It's kind of hard to drive when you're joined," she admitted sadly, before smiling.

Charlie let out a snort. "What you doing here?"

"Waiting," said Santana cryptically.

"For what?"

"Not for what, for whom. I was waiting for you."

"Me? Why?"

"I wanted to know if you wanted to hang out."

"You just want to hang out with me?" Charlie looked at her sceptically. "That's it? No ulterior motive, no plan to humiliate me?"

"No motives or plans. I wanted to talk to you about something."

It sounded for a moment that Santana was going to let down her guard and bare all of her secrets to Charlie in the middle of a heavily populated street. She could see the walls the girl had put up coming down bit by bit but when a woman walked past pushing a strolled and glared at the uniform the Latina was wearing, within a second they were back up again and Charlie was left staring into the steely dark orbs of Santana Lopez.

"It's the first day and I'm already stuck on that calculus homework."

"You need some help with your homework?" Charlie asked. She looked at the Latina who had bowed her head. There was something the girl needed to get off her chest but was she scared? Quinn had explained the personalities of the people she would most likely be hanging out with at school. Scared was a connotation that wasn't associated with Santana Lopez. It was generally the opposite. Bitch. Fearless. Satan reborn.

"I'm not good at asking for help, even if it only about homework," she said quietly. Charlie could barely hear her.

"Alright. I guess I can accept that answer for now. Mum's at work and Quinn took Beth over to Puck's. You can drive me home."

"Then get your arse into the car or I'm going to leave without you. Chop chop."

Charlie laughed and got in, pulling her iPod out to turn it off and wrap her headphones around. Maybe now wasn't the best time to ask Santana if it was only homework she needed help with. She was driving and there was a rumour going around that she had been arrested over the summer for road rage. Santana picked up speed and skidded around the corner.

"Am I going to get home alive?"

"Maybe," Santana answered, smirking as she pat the blonde on the leg gently. "Maybe not."

'_This girl is going to kill me. I just hope in a good way,'_ thought Charlie, as they took another corner hard.

* * *

><p>Next up! Santana and Charlie. Maybe a little RachelQuinn. We'll see


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